BMW M GmbH has begun first take a look at drives with a prototype for progressive high-performance electrical drive and chassis management programs. The idea testing focuses on a four-wheel drive system comprising 4 electrical motors and an built-in driving dynamics management system.
With the fully new drive idea, BMW M GmbH is underscoring its growth experience and, subsequently, additionally its potential to switch the essence of the letter M into the world of domestically emission-free mobility. The purely electrical drive system is mixed with progressive management programs to redefine the mix of dynamics, agility and precision that’s attribute of BMW M cars in a high-performance sports activities automobile.
BMW M GmbH has already launched the all-electric BMW i4 M50 efficiency automobile (mixed energy consumption: 22.5 – 18.0 kWh/100 km in response to WLTP) and the BMW iX M60 (mixed energy consumption: 24.5 – 21.9 kWh/100 km in response to WLTP). The BMW i7 M70, the primary BMW M vehicle based mostly on an all-electric luxurious sedan, is to comply with as early as subsequent yr.
With a view to now deliver the drive and chassis know-how designed for future, purely electrical high-performance vehicles onto the highway for take a look at and tuning drives, the engineers at BMW M GmbH have developed a take a look at automobile based mostly on the BMW i4 M50. The purely electrically powered coupe has been created with a modified physique in typical BMW M GmbH type, the broad wheel arches of which enable the combination of particularly manufactured high-performance entrance and rear axle designs.
The entrance finish of the automobile options an tailored physique strut idea taken from the BMW M3/ M4 sequence for notably excessive torsional rigidity in extraordinarily dynamic driving conditions. The association of the radiator items can also be based mostly on the configuration developed for the present high-performance sports activities vehicles.
The core of the high-performance drive system now making its debut on the highway within the take a look at automobile is an electrical M xDrive four-wheel drive system with 4 electrical motors. The truth that all 4 wheels are every pushed by an electrical motor opens up fully new prospects for infinitely variable, extraordinarily exact and on the identical time very quick distribution of drive torque.
Inside milliseconds, the facility and torque of the spontaneously reacting electrical motors might be dosed so exactly that the load demand signalled by way of the accelerator pedal might be realized at a degree of dynamics that’s unattainable utilizing typical drive programs.
Which means that the motive force is ready to expertise fully new efficiency traits even underneath extraordinarily demanding situations akin to in extremely dynamic conditions or adversarial highway situations.
Electrification opens up fully new levels of freedom for us to create M-typical dynamics. And we will already see that we will exploit this potential to the utmost, in order that our high-performance sports activities vehicles will proceed to supply the M-typical and incomparable mixture of dynamics, agility and precision within the domestically emission-free future.
—Dirk Häcker, Head of Improvement at BMW M GmbH
The precision throughout the switch of drive torque particularly advantages considerably from the electrical M xDrive four-wheel drive system. The 4 motors are linked to a central, extremely built-in management unit that completely displays the driving situation and the motive force’s needs. The best energy transmission to the highway is calculated inside milliseconds from the values for the accelerator pedal place, steering angle, longitudinal and lateral acceleration, wheel speeds and different parameters. The alerts for this are transmitted simply as shortly and straight by way of a multi-plate clutch and differentials to the 4 motors, that are capable of implement them instantly and exactly.
This type of automobile dynamics and drive management was delivered to sensible maturity in intensive growth and take a look at phases, initially on digital fashions after which on take a look at benches. For fully real looking software of the {hardware} and software program developed for this function, the idea take a look at automobile is now being placed on the highway.
The inside of the four-door coupe is supplied with in depth measuring know-how that can be utilized to analyse intimately each accomplished driving state of affairs. On this approach, the theoretical outcomes for the proper distribution of drive torque might be in contrast within the rolling take a look at laboratory with actuality on the highway and brought into consideration for additional programming.
This detailed work is essential to make sure that future high-performance fashions will even be characterised by the BMW M linear build-up of drive energy and lateral dynamics that allows controllable dealing with proper as much as the bounds. The truth that this restrict vary is shifted even additional by the brand new drive precept was already obvious throughout the first take a look at kilometers of the idea take a look at automobile on closed-off roads.
Because of the notably delicate dosage of drive torque and conversion with out perceptible latency, considerably greater cornering speeds might be achieved, even on rain-soaked or snow-covered roads, for instance. On this case, the automobile steers effortlessly and with out a tendency to understeer, because the drive torque for the surface rear wheel has already been elevated parallel to the steering angle.
The high-performance character of the brand new drive system can also be evident within the recuperation of braking vitality. Proper as much as the bounds of driving dynamics, the 4 motors can assume the perform of a generator when braking earlier than a bend, for instance, and feed electrical energy again into the high-voltage battery.
